Hartford florist Rosa Gabriella blooms with a Muddy Stilettos win

When the winners of the 2026 Cheshire Muddy Stilettos Awards were announced, the Florist category went to a business that started with one woman, a college qualification and a lot of flowers: Rosa Gabriella of Hartford, near Northwich.

The boutique florist is the creation of floral designer Gabrielle Williams. She trained at Reaseheath College near Nantwich, gaining her Level 5 Floristry Certificate, and founded Rosa Gabriella in 2018. In the years since, she has built a reputation well beyond the village.

Her work has been seen on the biggest stages in British horticulture. At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show she won a silver medal, and closer to home at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park she was named Shopfront of the Year in 2023, a category that celebrates florists' window displays.

Day to day, Rosa Gabriella is the kind of florist many Cheshire villages wish they had. Gabrielle creates bouquets, wreaths, funeral tributes and wedding flowers for customers across the county, including Knutsford and Tarporley. She also specialises in shop installations and interior floral design, from short-term displays to longer-running schemes for businesses that want flowers to be part of how a space feels.

Workshops are a growing part of the business, and the timing for readers is good. Through the year Gabrielle runs seasonal sessions, including autumn, Christmas and Easter wreath making, table centrepiece classes and dried flower arranging. With the clocks about to go back, an evening spent learning to build a Christmas wreath is a very Cheshire way to start the festive season.

The Muddy Stilettos Awards are voted for by the public, with winners chosen from finalists across the county, which makes the win a reflection of loyal local customers as much as industry judges. Rosa Gabriella shared the 2026 winners list with names such as Arighi Bianchi in Macclesfield, Groobarbs Field Kitchen in High Legh and Ashtanga Cheshire Studios in Sandbach.

For a business built from a qualification at a Cheshire college and a few years of hard graft, it is a fine moment, and proof that some of the county's most creative work is happening on its village streets.

Find out more, order flowers or book a workshop at rosagabriella.co.uk.